# Is "The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994) is identified by: 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. The US Knopf 1994 edition is the true first, Volume Two of the Border Trilogy.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon
- Black boards with gilt spine and cover lettering, deckled fore-edge, red top stain; octavo, 426 pp
- Dust jacket (designed by Chip Kidd, sepia cattle-skull photograph) carries the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Cormac McCarthy |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. Black boards with gilt spine and cover lettering, deckled fore-edge, red top stain; octavo, 426 pp. Dust jacket (designed by Chip Kidd, sepia cattle-skull photograph) carries the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf 1994 edition is the true first, Volume Two of the Border Trilogy. A signed limited issue of 1,000 copies 'for friends of the author and publisher' has a publisher's inserted signed/limitation leaf. The UK Picador edition is a separate first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no mass book-club edition diluting the first. The trade first is identified by the stated 'First Edition,' the priced jacket, and the Knopf binding; later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Crossing* by Cormac McCarthy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-crossing
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.